In the end, the power to choose is the only power we have, and that extends to our beliefs. So one can choose to spend their entire life attempting to solve the great mystery of existence, only to find that in the end, the answers they find are ones that they chose for themselves anyway. But they will also find that they missed out on the opportunity to simply appreciate the experience that was given to them. So, a large part of me thinks that the greatest gift we have been given, is the ability to chose for ourselves the meaning of our existence.

However, another part of me, based on some things I have experienced in recent years, leads me to believe that the universe is more sophisticated than that. And that perhaps, beneath our ability to choose our own truths, there is a fundamental truth that binds us all together. I also think that this definitive truth is knowable, but that to acquire true knowledge one must be righteous. After my own personal experience led me to question this, I noticed that Noah, the only righteous person living as told in the bible, knew of the flood, and could hear the voice of "God." So I find it very interesting that Noah sounds identical to "knower."

These conflicting ideas can be resolved by abandoning the quest to solve the great mysteries of life and simply living one's life - but living it with goodness and righteousness as a compass. Perhaps then, and this is of course just speculation based on my experiences, one might be able to discover the truth without having to spend a lifetime seeking for it.

Of course the problem is that the world was not designed with goodness in mind, the world being society in this context. Living righteously in a world where our comfort seems to be dependent upon the discomfort of others, is a task that takes more courage than anything else I can conjure in my imagination. This has reminded me, however, of how much I want to try - so thank you very, very much.